Prompt:
Every child has a monster that lives under their bed. Society’s coming of age ceremony is to kill that monster. The time has come for you to become an adult.
Lisa is my best friend in the entire world. She is thoughtful, caring, and beautiful. Lisa is my monster, but she is not one. I knew immediately she was different from my friend’s monsters.
Tonight I sit with Lisa and talk to her about Thursday. Thursday. My birthday, the day Lisa will face a gory end. I can’t lose her. As I talk to Lisa about my plan to rescue her, I see she is very silent. When I’m done I wait for her to speak. Lisa slowly opens her mouth, and says quietly,
“Sara, we switched places at birth. I am not the monster. You are. I am human, and you will be dead by Friday morning.”